Stygian
by lorcleis
Summary: After Harry Potter leaves his temporary position, Hogwarts gains a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the form of Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades himself. He's not happy after being pulled out of a self-imposed exile following the tragedies of his 21st birthday but when you're a demigod, life never stays quiet for very long.
1. Apparition

**Hi everyone! I have been waiting forever to post my PJO/HP crossover and I can't wait to share it with you! Here are the basic specs:**

 **Stygian is a crossover that takes place during Harry Potter Next-Gen (but without the effects of The Cursed Child) and the children will show up, but the only one that is featured prominently is Teddy Lupin. Nico is twenty-two years old, Teddy is nineteen, and Neville is in his late thirties. This will update _bi-monthly_ whenever I have time or inspiration as Corinthians is my main priority and this fic is a bit of fun. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Nico di Angelo stood as he often stood his entire life: on the edge of a precipice. The dusty leather of his shoes kicked rocks off the sheer cliff face where the sea swallowed it eagerly. Waves writhed against the boulders below. He didn't dare peer over the edge.

It was a beautiful day in southern Italy, too beautiful by Nico's standards, but months of living abroad have led him to adjust the standards by which he conducted his life. Time felt different in this part of the world, two bright ribbons stretched into oblivion on either side of him. If he turned his head just right, he could see the past, and a tilt to the other side meant a glimpse into the future. Nico knew if he wanted to, he could reach out and grasp it, but his hands stayed where they were in his pockets.

He had no time for wishful thinking.

But that, too, was wrong. Nico had all of the time in the world now that he'd uprooted himself from his cramped studio apartment in Brooklyn and the darkened cabin he'd left behind years ago at camp. In renouncing a future of quests and adventures, he'd inexplicably unmoored himself from the path that most demigods were set on until an untimely death caught up to them.

Nico di Angelo didn't think he'd enjoy being purposeless, but that was another thing he'd proved himself incorrect on. Being able to float through life, getting by on what he could covertly steal from food carts or buy in exchange for a favour gave him a new outlook on life.

Namely, that life wasn't nearly as important as everyone thought it was.

His friends had long since learned that getting in touch with Nico was a fool's errand if there ever was one. The lucky few that recieved an Iris message from him could expect them once every few weeks. Nico thumbed the golden drachma in his pocket and, with a resigned sigh, threw it into the rainbow produced by the sea.

"Oh Iris, goddess of rainbows, please accept my offering. Percy Jackson, New Rome," Nico said. He sat down at the edge of the cliff, his legs dangling off the side.

A hazy image of Percy shimmered into view. He was washing dishes in a small kitchen; the TV on in the living room behind him blaring a colourful children's cartoon. Percy jumped at the sight of Nico, nearly shattering a wine glass.

"Nico!" Percy broke into a grin. "How's it going?"

Nico shrugged. "The same. It's gotten ungodly hot here. You'd love it."

"Well it's been pretty hot in New Rome, too." Percy resumed washing the dishes. "Where are you living these days?"

Nico bit his lip. "You know I can't answer that."

"Fine," Percy sighed. "We're planning a visit back to New York this weekend to see my mom. Annabeth thinks she finally cracked how to get Nate to settle down on planes: apple juice."

"What, no cross-country road trip?" Nico cracked a smile.

Percy laughed. "God, I hope not. As much as I hate planes, I'd hate taking a two-year-old in a car for that long. I get enough of him at home."

"He's your kid, Percy. You had him on purpose," Nico said. Then, under his breath, "as far as I know."

"And I love him, but he would hate a road trip as much as I would." Percy shot Nico a look. "We're going to visit camp while we're there. Chiron's been asking about you."

Nico turned away from the Iris message and looked out across the sea. He'd been fending off calls from the centaur ever since he'd cut his losses in New York and run. "Yeah, I know."

"He said something about a job opportunity." Percy raised an eyebrow. "It sounded pretty good. I'd take it, but Annabeth has her hands full with the tail ends of grad school and with Nate, we can't afford to move to- shit, what was it?"

"Scotland," Nico said flatly.

"Scotland!" Percy's enthusiasm was wasted on Nico's sour demeanor. "That'd be the trip of a lifetime."

"Yeah, well," Nico crossed his arms. "I've already had one of those. I don't need two lifetimes."

"Give it a chance," Percy said. "You might surprise yourself."

Nico bit his lip, drawing his knees up to his chest like a child. He'd had no qualms leaving his old life behind for the great unknown, but talks with Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel pulled him back to who he was on the eve of his twenty-first birthday, being pulled from a pit of monsters that he thought he'd die in. He was nearly twenty-two now, and he didn't feel any older or wiser.

"Is that Nico?" came a voice.

Percy grinned and shouted over his shoulder, "Yeah! Come say hi!"

A breathless Annabeth came into view, her arms laden down with grocery shopping and the sleeping form of a little boy: Nathaniel, their son.

"Is that Italy? Reliving your greatest hits?" Annabeth wrinkled her nose, inspecting the valley behind Nico. Percy took the groceries from her and she muttered thank you, shifting Nate to her other hip. "I thought you'd have run into some monsters by now."

"Monsters tend to stay away from me these days," Nico said, his mouth sent in a hard line.

"Huh," Annabeth said. Nico could see the gears whirring in her mind. No monsters was worse than a whole horde: something else was scaring them out of the region. "Are you having... fun?"

Nico snorted. "Fun?"

"What? What questions do you want me to ask here?" she shot him a glare. "I'm a mom now, I dote."

"Dote less, mommy dearest," Nico said.

"Hey!" Annabeth objected.

Nico stood, brushing off his clothes. "I better get going. The sun's about to set."

"Stay safe out there," Annabeth advised. She gave him a stern look that pierced him to the core.

"And Nico," Percy said. "Remember what Chiron said. Scotland is pretty nice this time of year."

"Sure," Nico grumbled. "Scotland. See you later."

The Iris message dissipated but Nico could feel Percy and Annabeth's gaze lingering. He attempted to shake it off as he walked back down to the sloping, cluttered village he'd taken up residence in a few months ago. The job offer was nice, but Nico didn't need a purpose anymore. He needed clarity.

* * *

It wasn't until the sun had almost retreated beneath the horizon that Nico noticed his wallet was missing. It wasn't as if there was anything of incredible importance in it- just a weathered ID, photos, and a few Euros- but the idea that someone had gotten close enough to him to snatch something off his person was enough to make his stomach lurch.

He thought it might have been the dwarves from Bologna, that they'd flown south for the winter to relieve tourists of every shiny bauble they brought with them, but he decided that wasn't the case when we was wandering the remnants of that day's market at dusk.

Vegetable and fish sellers were packing up wooden pallets and folding tables when a blur streaked through the narrow street, sending Nico spinning.

"Ay!" yelled a vendor as his wooden pallets were destroyed.

Nico's senses went into overdrive, but he hesitated, battling his instinct to chase after whoever it was that had whirled through the piazza like a tornado. He was not a hero anymore, his days of crusading were far behind him- or, at least, he desperately wanted them to be. But he felt something familiar and comforting on his tongue: the taste of adventure.

Nico set off after the runner, his heart pumping in his ears. The sound of his shoes hitting the cobblestones reverberated along the empty village streets, making the person who was running that much harder to find. He couldn't tell if they were behind him or in front of him, but Nico let his instincts lead him through several winding paths.

He exploded onto what seemed to be the main street of the town and managed to catch the tail end of the runner. Nico's eyes weren't the best, but he saw a small bag dangling from their wrist and in their hand several wallets, one of which looked suspiciously like his own.

Nico tore down the street, keeping the thief within sight as best he could, but whoever they were, they were fast. Either that or neglecting demigod training was beginning to take a toll on Nico. He'd thought that demigods kept their physical strength and fitness as a godly trait, but that didn't seem to be the case here. Children of Hades weren't the most athletic of specimens.

He managed to head the thief off at a fork in the winding streets. They collided in a flurry of motion, Nico's hand grasping their collar. A few wallets fell to the ground.

"Who sent you?" Nico hissed. He observed the thief, an unassuming man with oily skin and drab features that almost rendered him featureless. He had to be in his mid-thirties at most.

The man squirmed in Nico's grip, regarding him with a stricken glare, then pulled a piece of wood out of his pocket. Nico ducked, thinking it was a knife, but was surprised to find him point it at Nico's hand instead. Short red flames burst from the tip and Nico dropped the thief's collar in pain.

The thief dashed off down the street again.

"Hey!" Nico called out after him.

He began picking up speed, the burns on his hand making it useless for any sort of fighting, but he didn't think his Stygian iron sword would do much in this instance. The thief wasn't Greek, but he wasn't completely mortal either.

"Stop!" Nico shouted, knowing the futility of the word as it left his mouth.

He willed his mind to stop recalling other missions that were similar to the foot chase he was on now. Running wasn't Nico's specialty and thinking of monsters just made him nauseous. He was lucky the thief wasn't something more sinister, but he already was a mystery.

Nico caught up to the man just as he began to wave his weapon into the air. Nico reached out his hand and grasped a fistful of the man's jacket and heard a sound he'd never forget.

The loud crack of disapparition.

* * *

Nico was spat out onto the hard wooden surface of a table and went sprawling, his hand gripping the thief's jacket so forcefully it must have warped the fabric. The pair knocked over two beers, three glasses of wine, and several dishes half-filled with what looked to be a type of pie before they skidded to a stop.

The thief went over the edge and fell onto the floor, much to the surprise of Nico, who lost his grip with a yelp. When he attempted to run again, Nico shoved him up against the stone walls and twisted his arms behind his back.

"I will not ask you again," Nico growled. "Who sent you?"

The thief whimpered and relinquished all of the wallets in his possession. They flopped to the floor anticlimactically. "N-no one! No one sent me!"

"Wrong answer. Try again!" Nico shoved the man into the wall even harder. "Was is the Romans? The Greeks? Did that stupid fucking school in Scotland send a stupid fucking test?"

The thief's face was beginning to bleed from being scraped against the stones. Nico threw the man to the floor where he lay, gasping.

"We didn't, Mr di Angelo," said a voice to his right. "But it worked out just the same."

Nico turned to see a woman who looked old and somehow ageless at the same time. She wore long, flowing robes embroidered with green thread and a black pointed hat atop her head. Nico thought it had to be some sort of costume.

"Thank you for apprehending Mr Hartford, here," the woman said, her gaze turning to the thief. "He broke parole and has been causing quite a bit of trouble for witches and wizards throughout Italy. The Ministry will be happy to know he's been brought in."

"Uh, right." Nico nodded warily. Now that the chase was over, he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. His breathing was heavy and the burns on his hand began to sizzle in pain. He didn't want to risk shadow travel after whatever magic the thief had cast. "Is that all?"

"No, Mr di Angelo, that is most definitely not 'all.'" The woman regarded him with a hawkish, yet familiar gaze. It was like being reprimanded by Annabeth when he was younger. She turned to the side and spoke to a group of people sitting at a long table parallel to the one Nico crash-landed on. "Aurors, if you would escort Mr Hartford to the Ministry, that would be much appreciated."

The group at the table looked to be at the end of their meal, tankards and glasses nearly drained. If they were any sort of police force, Nico couldn't tell. They looked mismatched and haggard, like runaways or pick pockets, and ran the gamut of an incredibly old man with skin the colour of the earth to a young wisecracker with a shock of blue hair.

"I still think if we hadn't sent in bait, he'd have shown up," the young one said, handing a red-haired man nearly two decades his senior a handful of dirty silver coins. "That's all I have on me."

"You still owe me a full galleon, Teds," the red haired man grumbled. He counted the coins briefly and stuck them in his pocket. "But I'm the master of luck. No use going up against a professional guesser."

The two stood with the tiresome feeling of routine and bent down to pick up Hartford. The one called Teds tapped him on the nose.

"You didn't run fast enough, mate," he said with a rakish smile. "Good thing Potter wasn't here."

They pulled Hartford onto his feet, cuffing him with some sort of gleaming metal, then nodded to the woman. Hartford struggled weakly.

"McGonagall," the red-haired man said. "Always a pleasure."

"The same to you, Mr Weasley." She inclined her head. "Do give your wife my best."

"This one better be worth it," Ted said, indicating Nico with his head. It felt impersonal and alien, to be talked about as if he wasn't even there.

Her smile was light and secretive. "I think you'll find that Mr di Angelo is more than capable. Even more so than your father."

"Fat chance." Ted scoffed. "See you around, Professor."

The two left with their prisoner.

Nico stepped back, still working on catching his breath, as the scene before him unfolded. He couldn't wrap his mind around what had happened in the last few minutes any more than he could tell where he was. For the first time, he took stock of his surroundings and found himself to be in a dimly-lit pub of sorts. The walls were decorated with framed, moving photographs and an odd mix of taxidermied animals. It was then that Nico noticed every single eye in the bar was on him.

"Professor McGonagall," she said, her hand extended towards Nico. "Headmistress of Hogwarts."

Nico let out a sigh through gritted teeth. "I told-" he lowered his voice, suddenly aware of who could be eavesdropping. "I told Chiron I did _not_ want the job. That still stands. What's with all of... _this_?"

McGonagall pressed her lips into a thin line, dropping her hand that he'd refused to shake. "Come with me, Mr di Angelo. We have much to discuss."

* * *

McGonagall led Nico up a set of stairs and into what appeared to be a hotel room, but it was unlike any hotel he'd ever stepped into. The curtains were moth-eaten, the bed sturdy and old. The hardwood floors underneath his feet buckled and warped at the oddest of moments, leading him to feel like he was walking on the back of an enormous toad. It looked more like a room suited for the era when he was a child than a modern one. He was sure even his mother would call the decor old-fashioned.

"Sit," McGonagall said as she settled herself into an overstuffed armchair next to a fireplace filled with embers.

"I prefer to stand," Nico replied, crossing his hands in front of him.

"That was not a suggestion, Mr di Angelo." She fixed him with a stern glare. He reluctantly complied, tapping the spot where he kep his Stygian iron sword hidden underneath his shirt. She set about fixing a cup of tea and dropped two sugar cubes into the cup with a satisfying _plop!_ "I am pleased to see that Chiron somehow managed to contact you about the position we have open at Hogwarts. I hear you're a hard man to get a hold of. Tea?"

Nico stared at the teacup with apprehension. Judging by McGonagall's earlier behaviour, it wasn't a smart idea to refuse anything she offered. He took the cup quietly and set it on the end table next to his chair. "Thank you. Chiron is..." He searched for a word that would be more flattering . "... _persistent_."

"Yes, that he is." Her eyes sparkled with a sort of mischief he didn't think people her age were capable of. Nico guessed that McGonagall procured a number of staff members this way: shanghaiing them into service. "He's worried about you."

"He shouldn't. I'm an adult, I can do whatever I like." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Does whatever you like include disappearing for an entire year without contacting anyone?" She sipped her tea. "If so, that was rather irresponsible of you."

"I contacted people," Nico said. He struggled to keep his voice to a normal level. "And the circumstances of my... retirement are none of your concern. Did you drag me to whatever this gods-forsaken place is just to lecture me?"

"This is the Leaky Cauldron, a favourite haunt for witches and wizards in London," McGonagall explained. She glanced about the room. "The decor isn't my favourite, but the tea is lovely. Nearly every student of Hogwarts passes through this pub to prepare for the school year ahead. What I want to know, is if you will be joining us or not."

"Joining you?" Nico nearly laughed. "No way. I did my time, I'm done with school."

"Not as a student, as a teacher," she replied. "Our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor retired two years ago after over a decade of service and we managed to get an Auror to teach last year, but he had to return to the field. We'd like you to educate the next generation of Hogwarts students."

Now Nico really did laugh, long and loud, but without any humor. "Oh, this is rich. You want _me_ to teach a bunch of brats how to defend themselves from the 'dark arts?'" His expression turned stormy. "I _am_ the dark arts."

McGonagall set down her teacup, her hands sure and steady. "I do not know if you are aware of this, Mr di Angelo, but the wizarding world suffered a great tragedy not too long ago. A war swept through much of Europe and decimated our society taking many people that our community held dear, including some of my closest friends. I heard the godly world experienced a similar battle."

"Two." Nico swallowed thickly. "We had two wars."

"Do not hide from your society because of what you did during times of terror and strife." McGonagall intoned as if they were having the most casual of conversations. "Running, while physically a talent of yours, does not seem to be your strong suit emotionally."

He swallowed a snarl that threatened to erupt from his throat. "I am not running because of what happened in the wars."

"Suit yourself," she replied. "But if you are going to abandon the godly world, you might as well do some good in another. Our children know nothing of war, and I pray they never do, but if they must learn I'd rather they learn from someone who knows what the dark arts truly are." She picked up her cup and took a dainty sip of tea. "Or are you not a true son of Hades?"

Nico leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Goading me will not work, McGonagall. I'm not going to work for your magic school- I can't even _do_ magic."

"That can be arranged." Her glance was inscrutable.

He wasn't sure what it was about him or his history that made Hogwarts want him so much. He wasn't the strongest of fighters or the most quick-witted either. He would have thought that they'd go after Percy or Annabeth before they even considered him. There must have been something very wrong with their school if they couldn't even procure teachers within their own world. But then, Nico thought of the war that she said they had fought. The existence of wizards didn't surprise him in the slightest; there was always a stray follower of Hecate or two that wandered onto Camp Half-Blood's radar. If the wizarding world really was as small as he believed, so secret that even most demigods didn't know about it, it's possible that most of the candidates for the position had died.

Nico knew that she could sense that he was struggling with the decision to take the job and laid a hand on his.

"It's time to stop running, Nico," she said, her voice wise and sure.

All of a sudden, he was struck by how childlike he felt in her presence. He had missed having a stable home, someone to care for him. He'd felt that back at Camp Half-Blood and the tiny mess of an apartment he shared in Brooklyn until one year ago. His heart longed to be a part of something again and he could feel it, beating like a racehorse inside his chest.

He took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"


	2. Palpable

Nico di Angelo was fairly sure that he was going mad.

After nearly a week sequestered in his room at the Leaky Cauldron, he'd done everything there was to do at the pub-turned-halfway house. He had turned all of the picture frames upside down without anyone noticing, rearranged the taxidermied animals into a rather rude mass sculpture and befriended Tom, the bartender who never seemed to leave his post, after he served Nico a shot of firewhiskey that nearly burned his eyebrows off.

Everything, except, try to leave.

Nico was worried that if he stepped outside, he wouldn't be able to find the place again. Demigod magic was different from wizard magic, that much he could figure out, and what if the building could sense he wasn't a wizard and refused to appear to him? They must have their own form of the Mist, in charms and cloaks and trinkets. To busy himself, he tried to talk to McGonagall whenever she decided to stop by for a visit, but she was so cryptic that he might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

And that was where he found himself standing on a Saturday afternoon, shoulder to shoulder with the Auror that had bright blue hair, that was now an inexplicable shade of soft rose gold.

"Mr Lupin, if you please," McGonagall said, gesturing to the dead end they found themselves in.

Teddy raised his wand and Nico inhaled sharply. He cracked a smile, that of a jokester who was used to, if not took pleasure in, shocking others.

"No need to panic," said Teddy. "I don't bite." Then, underneath his breath, "... _much_."

Nico suddenly became intensely interested in the tips of his shoes. Enclosed spaces like this gave him the utter creeps, and that's saying something for a child of the Underworld. He could feel McGonagall's eyes on him and then, as quickly as they came, they shifted towards Teddy.

Teddy's wand tapped the bricks in front of them in an irregular pattern, muttering something under his breath that Nico thought must be an incantation, but could just as easily have been his grocery list. The bricks in front of them shifted to reveal a bustling market place filled to the brim with people.

"You couldn't have told me about this earlier?" Nico asked McGonagall. "I was going insane in that hotel room."

McGonagall shrugged and glided forwards into the fray. "You didn't ask."

Teddy put his wand back in its holster and folded his sleeve downwards to conceal the end. "Don't rag on ol' Minerva too much. You wouldn't have been able to get into Diagon Alley without a wand."

Nico looked out at the cobblestoned street, with the sloping roofs and crooked buildings that were built too close to each other. Strangely enough, it reminded him a lot of camp. The energy about it felt like the closeness he always experienced there. The family.

He made a noncommittal grunt. "Cool."

Before Teddy could even blink, Nico had forged ahead after McGonagall, leaving him in the dust. Nico wasn't sure what it was about Teddy that rubbed him the wrong way, but his presence especially reaffirmed that it was Nico who didn't belong in this world. Even though he was weird, wizards were _weirder_ , and a different type of weird at that. Changing your hair colour at the drop of a hat? Fine. Being plucked from the early 20th century by your godly parent to live in a time stasis at a Las Vegas resort? Too odd.

He was incredibly tired of feeling too odd.

"Keep up, Mr Lupin," McGonagall said as Teddy joined their group. "We have many things to cover today and Mr Potter tells me you have been slacking in your paperwork as of late."

"That is not my fault," Teddy said indignantly. "They wouldn't let me use my Quick-Quotes Quill because it apparently messes with the data input, so I had to do everything by hand."

"So, you had to do your job, then?" McGonagall said dryly. She led them to a small shop a block away from where they had entered Diagon Alley. "Come, we have to get him measured first if the robes are to be done on time."

As soon as Nico entered the store, he was assaulted with the smell of mothballs. It reminded him of his grandmother's house and, oddly, of the cold darkness of the Hera cabin back at camp. The shop was filled to the brim with bolts of fabric and rows of robes hung in haphazard lines. A few measuring tapes were hard at work wrapped around the arms and legs of various customers.

"Ah, Minerva!" came a voice. A woman emerged from a back room and embraces McGonagall warmly. She glanced at Nico. "New student, I presume?"

"Mr di Angelo is a teacher, Madam Malkin," McGonagall corrected. "He needs to be fitted for a basic set of black robes, then two others in a design of his choosing."

"Or I could wear normal clothes, like a normal person," Nico pointed out. Madam Malkin grabbed his wrist and observed his arm, causing him to stumble forwards.

"Muggle clothes will make you stick out like a sore thumb," Teddy said, observing Nico's current state of dress. "And the all-black colour palette doesn't help. My uncle thought you were some sort of revival Death Eater when you made your grand entrance at the Leaky Cauldron."

Nico looked to McGonagall for an explanation as Madam Malkin set her measuring tape to work.

"Dark wizards," she clarified.

He grunted. "Fitting, I suppose."

Teddy's eyes grew dark and his tone lowered. "They're not the type of people you want to be."

"And getting a set of medieval wizard cloaks will help me look _less_ threatening?" Nico asked, his eyebrow raised.

"If you like, we could make them for you in pink," Madam Malkin interjected.

"Black is fine," Nico returned flatly.

"No embroidery? Nothing special?" She looked down at him through a pair of wire-frame spectacles. "Suit yourself. Or rather, I'll suit you. Three sets of robes should be done in around an hour."

Nico was given back control of his arm and he rubbed the spot on his wrist where Madam Malkin had been particularly vicious with her grip. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied. "Di Angelo, was it?"

Nico nodded. Madame Malkin wrote his name down on a piece of parchment with a large purple quill.

" _Of the angels_ ," she said with a sigh. "What a lovely name."

He snorted. "Something like that."

McGonagall was quick to shuffle both Nico and Teddy out of Madam Malkin's shop. "We'll return to pick the robes up after lunch!"

Once deposited back onto the crowded sidewalk, McGonagall turned to the pair and gave them both a long list of errands to run.

"I must attend to Hogwarts business today and I trust that you will be able to complete everything on this list before I return," she said sternly. "That means nothing is to be bought from your uncle's joke shop and under no circumstances is Mr di Angelo to come back with any additional piercings or a drastically different hair colour. Am I clear?"

Teddy fought down a snicker and settled for a salute instead. "Crystal clear, Minerva dearest. I'll put my Auror training to good use."

McGonagall eyed him with suspicion then disappeared without a trace into the crowd.

"She's..." Nico's voice trailed off.

"Odd?" Teddy supplied.

"Odd," Nico agreed.

Teddy slung an arm around Nico's shoulders, the shopping list grasped in the other. "C'mon, Nico. Time to get your nipples pierced and your hair dyed green."

* * *

They did not, in fact, pierce anything on Nico's body, nor did they take a trip to a salon. Instead, they ventured to Gringotts to open a wizarding bank account for Nico to be used during his time at Hogwarts. Astoundingly, they could change drachmas into wizarding galleons, but they couldn't exchange any of his American dollars. Go figure.

"We don't exchange that kind of muggle currency here," said one goblin as he glanced down at Nico through a pair of weathered, half-moon glasses. "Perhaps the young lord's _father_ could do it."

Nico scowled, the spare American dollars slowly crumbling in one fist. Teddy looked to Nico, then back at the goblin.

"We just need to open a small account so he can get settled at Hogwarts," Teddy said. "At the behest of Minerva McGonagall. Here, she gave me..." He patted down his pockets and eventually emerged with a folded slip of parchment. "This."

The goblin unfolded and read the parchment with a skeptical eye. Now that Nico had looked around the main entryway of Gringotts, almost all goblins peered at him suspiciously. He assumed it was because that they could sense he was a son of Hades, as the current goblin had so astutely inferred, or that he reeked of death. Goblins weren't under Hades' control, but they were creatures of the underground and riches, both part of Hades' domain. Even as creatures from another world they could feel the presence of a god and they didn't seem to like it.

"Alright," the goblin said finally. He came out from behind his podium and led them towards a door in the back of the room. "We will open an account for the young lord, but we will not convert any of those dollars he has. Paper money is utterly useless."

"Of course," Teddy agreed, shuffling along behind the goblin. He turned to Nico and mouthed ' _Lord?_ ' with the scandal of a reality star.

Nico glared at him in return.

They entered into what looked to be the beginning of a rollercoaster ride, but it had long fallen into dilapidation. The goblin placed a lantern on a hook and gestured for them to climb into the cart. The metal was slick with damp and the paint had begun peeling off ages ago. Nico hesitantly took a seat before the bar was violently pulled down onto his lap.

"Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times," the goblin said, his voice taking on a strange, detached tone.

"Is this really-" Nico began, but was unable to finish when the car lurched along the track at an astounding speed.

They zoomed along past dozens of large metal doors, through caverns that were larger than the whole of Diagon Alley. Nico would have thought it wondrous if he wasn't completely focused on making sure his skin and his skeleton weren't irreparably separated. The bar in the car was of no help whatsoever, as he slid against Teddy several times, nearly throwing him completely off the side at one point.

As suddenly as it had began, they came to a rapid stop in front of a vault that looked nearly identical to all of the rest.

"First stop: Hogwarts Scholarship vault," said the goblin. He exited the car. "Lantern, please."

Teddy handed him the lantern and exited the car as well, looking barely ruffled. He held his hand out for Nico.

"What the fuck kind of bank is this?" Nico stumbled out of the car with the grace of a baby deer. He managed to find his bearings against the wall, but ended up sliding to the floor to stop the world from turning upside down.

"The usual kind." Teddy shrugged.

"I will tell this to you straight, Teddy," Nico said. "This is not how actual banks operate."

The goblin chattered indignantly, a key in his hand. "Step aside, my lord."

Nico scowled at the goblin. "Don't call me that."

The goblin shot him a venomous glare. "Trust me, I don't want to."

Teddy rolled his eyes and held out his hand to help Nico up. He took it, but not without another look in the direction of the goblin.

"Seriously," Teddy said in an aside to Nico. "You are going to _have_ to tell me about this 'lord' thing."

"Aren't you some sort of wizard cop?" Nico asked. He brushed dirt off of his jeans. "Use your superior skills of detection.

"I resent that," Teddy replied. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a wizard _detective_ , thank you."

"Which is why you're babysitting the new teacher at a goddamn magical boarding school, right?" He leaned gingerly against the railing of the rollercoaster car. "Shouldn't you be on a case or something?"

Teddy snorted. "You've ridiculed my ability and my heritage but you haven't once made a crack at my age. I appreciate that."

"What? You're 19, maybe 20?" Nico shrugged. "That's old enough to go on missions."

He couldn't tell if the look Teddy was staring at him with was one of fear or confusion. Surely in the wizarding world children started young as well, just like the godly world. Demigods were used to having to take matters into their own hands these days; they have been for centuries. But wizards, Nico thought, were different. They seemed a lot like mortals in that children are something to protect, not release into the world in a treacherous game of sink or swim. He realized, after a beat, that Teddy bared an expression of fleeting sadness.

"If you're both quite done," the goblin said, waddling out of the vault with a leather pouch full of coins.

Nico and Teddy grabbed the lantern from him and hung it on its respective rung on the car, then got in, Nico with a bit of apprehension this time.

"Ready?" Teddy asked, his tone teasing.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Barely."

* * *

Teddy Lupin decided that he rather liked the bizarre new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Minerva was known for the ability to suss out talent in those who had never thought to recognize it in themselves, but Nico di Angelo was a right conundrum. There was magic in his blood and he did have the ability to do a few spells, but he had neither a wand nor a working knowledge of the wizarding world. Everything they passed seemed foreign to him and, Teddy thought, he would enjoy it exponentially more if he dropped the put-upon air of morose humility. Nico di Angelo was a very peculiar person indeed.

For one, he never went anywhere without a sword strapped to his leg, which in itself would not have been out of place as many Aurors chose another weapon in addition to their wands, but he never left the Leaky Cauldron without it and, according to a few patrons, often wore it about the pub like a normal accessory. He was never clothed in anything other than black, the complete opposite of Teddy's bright and outlandish wardrobe that he wore on the regular, and took to letting his hair fall over his eyes. He wondered how many hours Nico spent looking in the mirror, attempting to muss his light waves so they laid just so.

But now, after a trip to Madam Malkin's, an eventful hour opening an account at Gringotts, and a most unpleasant time spent with Ollivander's apprentice in an attempt to procure a wand, they had made their way to Flourish and Botts for a more normal shopping outing. Teddy had concluded that Nico wasn't used to such a day and he definitely wasn't used to having things bought for him.

"The students learn defense from _books_?" Nico held the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook in the air from one corner, his nose wrinkled.

"Yeah," Teddy said. "They need to learn it somehow. How did you go about it?"

He scuffed his shoes against the hardwood floor. "Experience. Nothing's a better teacher than that."

"Well, considering there's a serious lack of dark wizards roaming the grounds at Hogwarts," Teddy snatched the book from Nico's hand and place it in the basket. "A book will have to do. I heard they're replacing the whole set at Hogwarts, which is great. They were falling apart when I went to school."

"You went to Hogwarts?" Nico looked him up and down.

"Yeah," Teddy said slowly. "Why?"

Nico made a noise. "Nothing. You just don't look like the type."

"It's a school," Teddy said as if it was obvious. "Every type goes there. What school did you go to?"

Nico stepped in front of him, perusing the stacks of books. "I didn't." He disappeared down another aisle.

Teddy shook his head, attempting to file away the details Nico kept dropping like bread crumbs for later, but he couldn't get the boy out of his mind. It was like having only a few pieces of a thousand-part puzzle that he had to assemble in the dark. With his hands tied behind his back. He sighed and looked at the list that Minerva had given him and walked towards the other side of the store when he ran into someone, nearly falling flat on his face in the process.

"Oh!" exclaimed a girl. "I am terribly sorry."

Teddy froze. He'd know that voice anywhere.

 _Victoire_.

"No problem," he managed to stutter out. Teddy regained his balance quickly to come face to face with the most gorgeous girl he had ever known and the most gorgeous girl he'd even broken the heart of.

"Oh, Teddy," she said. Her long, blond hair spilled out over her shoulders. She seemed the smallest bit disappointed. "Hi."

"Victoire," he replied, his voice stilted. "I thought you were still in France."

"I was. We just got back yesterday and Mum remembered that I had to pick up a few things for my NEWTS." She held tight to the basket full of books.

"Cool," Teddy said. His throat had gone dry.

They stood like that for several awkward minutes before Nico emerged from the stacks, a few books in his hands.

"I don't know what kind of planning resources I'm expected to have, but this was the only notebook that didn't look like it was made from the backside of a drag-" Nico noticed Victoire for the first time, the leather planner falling into the basket from his now-slack grip. "Oh. Hello."

"Ted," Victoire said. "Would you care to introduce us?"

"Right," Teddy replied. "Victoire, this is Professor di Angelo, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Nico, this is Victoire, a friend from school."

Victoire held her hand out for Nico to shake. "And ex-girlfriend. He doesn't like to say that part aloud."

Nico took Victoire's hand and looked between her and Teddy as if trying to create a map of the wizarding relationships he'd encountered thus far. It could have been Teddy's imagination, but he thought Nico looked crestfallen.

"Nice to meet you," Nico said. "I'll probably have you in my class this year."

"Oh," Victoire said. "I'm not taking DADA to NEWTS, but you'll have my siblings."

Nico looked to Teddy, his brow furrowed.

"Acronym for the defense class," he explained. "NEWTS are the highest qualification you can get in a subject. Don't ask me what it stands for; I've forgotten it by now."

"Right." Nico pressed his lips together. "Well, we've got to get going. Don't we, Teddy?"

Teddy missed a beat but nodded, turning in the direction of the till. "See you later, Victoire."

"Yeah," she said, her voice icy. "See you."

They paid and exited the shop as quickly as they could. Teddy let out a large sigh and leaned against a lamppost that marked the edge of the sidewalk.

"Aren't you going to ask?" Teddy said, his eyes closed as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Your love life doesn't interest me," Nico replied flatly.

"Victoire's family is part of one of the most powerful families in the British wizarding world," Teddy said. "I'm surprised we escaped unscathed. I was sure one of her cousins was going to jump up and beat me to a bloody pulp for daring to speak to her."

"Like I said, your love life doesn't interest me."

Teddy opened one eye to get a look at Nico, who was moodily kicking a pebble along the cobblestoned path of Diagon Alley. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, I would consider you a friend," Teddy said.

"I'm not a friend, I'm an assignment," Nico replied. "Or are Aurors not taught professionalism in this half of the world?"

Teddy bristled at Nico's words and was readying a reply when McGonagall appeared by their side, her robes fluttering in the slight breeze of the alleyway.

"No tattoos and no piercings," she remarked, looking Nico up and down. "Good work, Mr Lupin."

"The tattoos are just where you can't see them, professor." Teddy grinned.

She shot him a stern look, amplified by her piercing eyes. "I trust you found everything alright?"

"Why didn't you tell me there'd be goblins during this trip to the mall?" Nico said.

"They're loyal to your father," McGonagall replied. "You shouldn't have had any problems."

"Under his domain and being loyal are two completely different things." Nico's eyes were dark. "They nearly killed me trying to open up a bank account."

"Oh, they do that to everyone. You're not special in that regard. Now, we must pick up the robes or Madam Malkin will add enough trim to drown a horse." Minerva turned on her heel.

"Come along, boys."


	3. Conversations

When Nico was told he would need to spend another week at the Leaky Cauldron before he could travel up to Hogwarts with the rest of this year's staff, he felt something knot in his chest and wished that the school year was already starting. He might not have had a plan, but he surely wouldn't have one in a week either and waiting caused him nothing but anxiety. Improvisation was the lifeblood of the demigod race.

He was grateful that after Teddy had finished their expedition in Diagon Alley that he'd shown Nico how to open the doorway with the wand they'd gotten him at Ollivander's. The wand felt useless in Nico's hand, but the Stygian iron sword he kept at his belt had no effect on the stones, so a wand would have to do.

 _Where's Hecate help when you need her_? Nico thought earlier that afternoon after his wand produced nothing more than some light purple sparks. He immediately swallowed his words. Summoning Hecate wasn't something that anyone here would want.

Nico lounged by the fire in the Leaky Cauldron, his legs splayed over the side of the couch and a book in hand. He glanced up from the novel he was reading at a group that was sitting at one of the dining tables drinking an oddly sweet type of beer.

Aurors.

He regarded them with caution. Teddy seemed fine as far as Nico could tell, but the others were a mixed bag. Like everything to do with magic, it was dangerous until it could be proven benign. The group laughed and chatted for several minutes until they noticed Nico watching him. Then one with eyes dark as coal made a gesture Nico didn't recognize. He returned to reading his book.

Across the Leaky Cauldron at the table of Aurors, Teddy Lupin was having a rough time attempting to explain Nico di Angelo to his coworkers.

"McGonagall sure knows how to pick 'em," said Elias Greengrass, an Auror around five years older than Teddy with a shifty glance at Nico's chair. "I remember the stories my aunt would tell about the revolving door of DADA teachers back before the war. He's no different."

"Cool it," Teddy shot back. "Nico's just fine. A little weird, but fine."

"If _you're_ calling him weird, he must be a right oddity," Elias replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Greengrass, can you spend five seconds spewing something other than gossip?" Ron Weasley said as he sat down at the table of Aurors. He reached into his back pocket for a pack of card. "I'm trying to set up a game of exploding snap here."

Elias ducked his head, mumbling something about Death Eaters into his pint of butterbeer.

"Hey Ted," Ron said, nudging Teddy lightly with his elbow. "Go ask the new bloke to play with us."

The corners of Teddy's mouth dipped down into a frown. "I don't know if he'll want to, but alright."

Teddy wandered over to where Nico was sitting, unsure of himself but wanting to get to know the new professor better. He stopped at the edge of Nico's seat and leaned down to see what he was reading. It was an odd book in a language that Ted didn't recognize with glittering calligraphy down the spine. It must have been made out of some type of leather but he wasn't sure what kind; it wasn't anything he'd seen before.

"What are you reading?" Teddy shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes still fixed on the book's title.

Nico glanced up at Teddy and placed the book down on his chest with the pages open. "Were you talking about me?"

"It's an odd language," Teddy said, squinting at the book. "Is it Russian or something?"

"You didn't answer my question," Nico interrupted. "Were you talking about me?"

Teddy bit his lip. "Yeah, they're just a bit curious is all. Greengrass has never seen a new professor for the DADA position before. We'd had the old lady for so long we never knew that there was a chance to have anyone like you."

"Like me?" Nico raised an eyebrow. "That's either the nicest insult or the worst compliment I've ever received."

Teddy laughed nervously and ran his hand through his hair. "My uncle wants to know if you'll play exploding snap with us. It's kind of his thing."

"Exploding snap?" Nico asked. "Is it anything like real snap?"

"Yeah, but a few cards might give off some sparks," Teddy said. "It's nothing to worry about, really."

Nico scoffed. He picked the book up again. "You guys can keep your beer and your gossip, I'll stay over here."

"We weren't gossiping," Teddy said, taken aback. "All evidence to the contrary, we're not rude people. Aurors are like Muggle police." He paused, thinking. "Kind of."

"Well the police in the mortal world suck from my experiences with them." He busied himself with his reading.

Teddy sighed, his shoulders moving so emphatically that they looked to be controlled by puppet strings. "Just get yourself over there. I don't have time to placate two groups of moody arseholes."

Nico sent him a glare then, slowly, stood up from his precarious perch on the arm chair, his book under one hand. "Fine, whatever. But I'm not learning how to play your ridiculous magical card game."

Teddy cracked a smile; something in Nico's near-murderous glare felt like a victory.

"Alright, ladies and gents," Ron announced as Teddy and Nico approached their table. He shuffled a deck of cards.

"There's no ladies here, Weasley, except Lupin, that is," Elias said with his mug at his lips.

"Hey!" Teddy said. He grabbed a seat next to Ron and gestured for Nico to do the same. "I'd make a beautiful gal and you know it."

Nico hesitated, taking in the assembled faces, then sat down in the chair next to Teddy. He placed his book on his lap. Someone in the group coughed lightly.

"As you all know," Teddy said with a roll of his eyes. "This is our new DADA teacher, Nico di Angelo. Nico, this is the worst group of people you will ever meet."

"Hello," Nico said gruffly. His mouth formed a thin line.

The Aurors stared back at him with open curiosity until Ron decided to begin the game, snapping them out of their reverie.

"You know how to play exploding snap, Nico?" Ron asked. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley. Teddy's uncle of sorts."

Nico nodded in acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you, and no. Never played snap in my life."

Ron grinned. "You're going to love it. I like playing with Bavarian rules, but this lot is all about the classic version, so we'll go with that."

"I'm not really a card game type of person," Nico said. He glanced around the group.

"What kind of person are you, then?" Ron asked. Nico knew the question was meant good-naturedly but he couldn't shake the idea that the Aurors were mining him for information.

Nico shrugged. "I never stayed out in the mortal world long enough to learn them and no one I grew up with was into card or board games. We were too busy training." He leaned over and picked up one of the cards with a creature on it. "Huh, what kind of thing is this?"

Ron and Elias Greengrass exchanged a look.

"It's a Common Welsh Green," said Elias. "A type of dragon."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Dragons. Interesting. I thought cards had kings and whatever on them."

"There's all sorts of things on exploding snap cards," said Teddy. "Dragons, trolls, notable witches and wizards. I've even seen a manticore and a cyclops on one."

"Cyclops?" Nico bit his lip. "Fine, I'll play. How does it go?"

"You have to find a pair and tap it with your wand," Ron said, his tone uneasy. "If you don't do it in time, the cards explode. Now that's the boring version, if we played with Bavarian rules-"

Teddy cut him off. "Let's just start, shall we?"

The three Aurors exchanged a meaningful look, then Ron dealt out the cards.

Elias picked up his stack and said in the most conversational tone he could muster: "So, Nico, what are you exactly?"

"Excuse you?" Nico said.

"Elias," Teddy hissed. "Don't do that!"

"What?" Elias asked. "He's clearly not a wizard or a Muggle."

Nico sighed and arranged the cards in front of him. "I'm a demigod. There, you happy?"

"I'm a demigod," Nico said conversationally as he shuffled his cards.

Elias's eyes protruded from his skull ever so slightly. "A... demigod?"

Teddy covered his mouth, he was cackling so fiercely he nearly fell out of his chair. The hair on his cycled through a few different colours as he began to hiccup.

"Yeah," Nico said slowly, as if Elias was stupid. "Demigod, you know. Half human, half god. I thought you wizard kids learned about this kind of shit in school."

"Hey, you're teaching this shit come September," Ron warned.

Elias's gaze shifted between Teddy and Nico. "And you knew?"

Teddy shrugged. "I had my suspicions. We can't call ourselves Aurors if things like this go unnoticed, can we?"

Elias grumbled something about skipping the supernatural creatures portion of training and finished the last sips of his butterbeer in one gulp.

They set up the table to play another game of exploding snap, this time with Ron's Bavarian rules governing the game. Nico enjoyed the card game; it suited his enhanced senses well and his battle skill got their chance to shine as he took another hand, but whenever the cards exploded, a small part of himself was back in battle, forging ahead to kill the Giants or dueling in the Titan War.

Teddy said something to him that he couldn't quite hear. The clash of celestial bronze against Imperial gold echoed in his ears.

"Sorry, what?" Nico said, his voice taking on a detached tone.

"I said, what was your school like?" Teddy asked again. His eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern as he took in Nico's glazed eyes.

"Uh, yeah," Nico said hurriedly. "It wasn't a school, really. We didn't have classrooms or anything. More of a training camp."

"For your powers?" Elias asked.

Nico pursed his lips, trying his hardest to appear casual. "For war. Archery, sword fighting, close-combat, that sort of thing."

Ron snorted. "Seems McGonagall took the 'defense' portion of Defense Against the Dark Arts literally."

Nico looked down at his shoes at the comment, prompting Teddy to send his uncle a dark look. "I have other powers."

Teddy sat forward and waggled his eyebrows. "Like?"

It was difficult for Nico to pinpoint exactly why he was telling them about demigods. Surely, they were supposed to keep their secret around others, but Chiron and McGonagall appeared to be close friends, which told Nico that both species know the other exists. He was tired of hiding what he was and it was a relief that he was in the company of others who also had problems of the supernatural nature. It struck him as odd that he'd never come across a wizard before. Perhaps he had and he didn't realize it. They did look like mortals, after all.

"Like..." Nico took his time answering. "Shadow manipulation, alchemy, dark things. I'm a son of Hades, god of the Underworld and riches."

Teddy was taken aback, but held an amused expression. "So when the goblin called you 'my Lord'...?"

"He was talking about my father," Nico said through gritted teeth.

"Huh, so that's why you're so good at card games," Ron noted as Nico won another round of exploding snap.

Nico chuckled. "That's just natural talent."

He turned and caught Teddy staring at him with open curiosity, then quickly looked away. Both boys blushed.

"This is going to be an interesting year," Elias noted as he glanced between them.

Ron nodded and sat back in his chair, beer in hand. "Yes, very interesting."


	4. Beginnings

Teddy and Nico were nearly inseparable in the week that followed. The Aurors frequented the Leaky Cauldron almost nightly and Teddy, who was only in training, had additional days off during the week. He managed to coax Nico out of his room, where he was sure Nico had read and reread the odd book he'd seen him with by the fire, and took him on tours of London instead.

Teddy told him about his family, how it was large and confusing and not always traceable by blood, but it was his. It reminded Nico of his own family, nestled in the hills of Camp Half Blood or sprawled across the streets of New Rome. Any and all of Teddy's innumerous cousins were going to end up in Nico's class and it made him feel strange. There would be people he'd know who wouldn't know him, but Nico di Angelo was nothing if not good at keeping his feelings to himself.

McGonagall had taken the train to Hogwarts a week ahead of time to ready the school, but advised Nico to join them later on the train that brings the students up to the castle instead. And there he was, sitting on the train platform with only one suitcase to his name, staring at the shifting gold on the ticket.

"Hello there," a voice said to his left. "You must be Nico, the new professor."

Nico's head shot up to look at a man maybe ten years older than him. He had sandy blonde hair trimmed neatly on the sides and light laugh lines framing his face. In one hand there was a battered leather briefcase and in the other a wand. A pair of reading glasses perched on his head.

He stood. "Uh, yeah. That's me."

"I'm Neville Longbottom." Neville stuck out his hand for Nico to shake with a warm smile. "Professor of Herbology. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

Nico wasn't sure about Neville, even as he shook his hand. There were wisps of death surrounding the professor despite his cheery nature. He masked his feelings well, choosing instead to force a smile back, albeit a small one.

"That's the plant one, right?" Nico said.

Neville chuckled. "Yes, plants. We'll be working rather closely this first week. It seems the Headmistress has taken it upon herself to choose me as your guide."

Nico exhaled heavily. "Why she keeps thinking I need babysitters, I'll never know."

Neville shrugged. "So, you've been teaching long?"

This made Nico laugh. "I'm probably the youngest on staff. Not sure why I was picked, really."

"Well, do you have some experience with the dark arts?" He looked at Nico as if he already knew the answer.

Nico's expression grew dark. "That's a bit of an understatement."

Neville opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a blur that nearly knocked Nico off of his feet. He twisted and put the attacker into a headlock only to realized it was Teddy Lupin.

"Teddy!" He grinned, releasing him. "I didn't know you'd be here."

Teddy stood and shook out his hair, which was a startling shade of green today. "I'm here to see my cousins off and I heard you were going on this train."

"Are you going to follow me all the way to Hogwarts?" Nico said it teasingly without even thinking.

Teddy's cheeks reddened. "Well you have an awfully high opinion of yourself, di Angelo." He turned to Neville and waved. "Hey Professor Longbottom. How's Herbology going?"

Neville raised an eyebrow. "Good. Nice to see you again, Mr Lupin. Auror training is treating you well, I presume?"

Teddy shrugged. "As well as it can."

A long whistle blast reverberated along the platform and the students loading their suitcases into the train.

Teddy tapped Nico on the shoulder with a grin. "I'll see you later, trouble. I've got to go find my cousins."

He dashed off into the fray to join a group of kids with blazing red hair. Off to the side stood Victoire, who climbed into the train without making any eye contact.

"Interesting lad," Neville said as he followed Nico's line of sight. "His dad used to have your job."

"Yeah?" Nico asked. "Why doesn't he still?"

"He died when Teddy was born. His mum, too." Neville's eyes glazed over for a moment. "Come on, then. We should board the train before it leaves without us."

* * *

Nico was used to long trips, but he hadn't anticipated how long the train ride from London to the Scottish countryside would be. Two hours ticked past, then three, and someone in the teacher's compartment told him it was a seven hour journey all-together. He would have rather risked shadow travel then spend another second sequestered away in a train filled to the brim with reckless kids.

The sounds coming from the student compartments reminded him of the tables at Camp Half Blood during meals: everyone was having a good time but him.

The other few teachers who were arriving late took to playing cards on a fold out table near the window while Nico attempted to sleep, his leather jacket bunched up around his shoulders. He took up more room than was necessary and he could feel an uncontrollable need to antagonize the people who were supposed to be his coworkers. He shoved it down the best he could.

"Nico, want to play a hand?" Neville was nice, Nico knew this, but the light smile and fatherly disposition of the man made it hard for Nico to reciprocate.

"No," Nico said gruffly. "I want this train to move faster."

Another professor, a middle-aged witch wearing purple robes that taught a subject Nico didn't care to remember, scoffed. "In the forty years I've been taking this train, it's always gone at a crawl. Deal with it, lad."

Nico settled down to sleep again, but instead of the train picking up speed, it slowed to a complete stop. His eyes shot open and he sat up very slowly.

The other professors threw their cards down onto the table.

"I hate when it breaks down," said one. He stood and made a move towards the door. "Happens every year."

Nico put his hand out, stopping him from leaving. His eyes went blank as he focused intently on the decidedly cooler temperature in the train. "Don't."

The professor stepped back, stunned.

"Nico..." Neville looked at him with furrowed brows. "What's going on?"

Nico could feel it, winding its way through the train. It was dark and felt heavy in his soul, but it wasn't a spirit or a demon. It wasn't anything he'd ever felt before. It seeped into the cracks of the windows and the grates in the doors. It permeated everything.

"There's something on the train," he whispered. Nico unsheathed his sword and put his hand on the compartment door. He pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't leave this compartment."

He could hear Neville protest as the door slid shut, but Nico was already in the gangway between compartments, his weapon at the ready. He saw a few students poke their heads out of their doors.

"What's going on?" a student asked. Her eyes went wide when she saw Nico was brandishing a sword as dark as night.

"Return to your seats," he said, his voice heavy with importance. "Don't move again until the train starts, okay?"

She nodded, swiftly shutting the compartment door behind her.

As he walked, he took care to not make a sound. He could feel the darkness in the train, but he couldn't pinpoint its exact location. Faces peered at him through the murky glass in the compartment doors and he waved them away. Whether he liked it or not, they were his responsibility.

He followed the feeling of darkness in his chest down the winding hallway of the stationary train. The lights began to flicker and dimmed in the afternoon sun and then, like he had suddenly opened his eyes, he could see it. A swath of night hovering outside the door of one compartment. He approached it cautiously but he had a feeling that even Stygian iron wouldn't have an effect on it.

As soon as Nico approached the unending dark, as soon as the edge of his sword came close to touching it, it dissipated like smoke. Beyond the darkness in the compartment that it was watching, was a group of children, no older than thirteen, laughing as one animatedly told a story. But it wasn't their expressions that held his attention.

Two of the boys, so alike they could have been twins, had an aura of death surrounding them.

Nico locked eyes with the eldest and felt a shock of power. He glanced at the bags next to him and saw one emblazoned with a family crest.

Potter.

* * *

They disembarked the train as the sun was dipping below the mountains. The small town of Hogsmeade reminded Nico of Italy and it brought an unexpected smile to his face. No matter how much he had rebelled when he was younger, Chiron still knew him well enough.

He noticed groups of students swarming around a tall man that resembled the giants he'd fought against in stature, but seemed otherwise human. They were shouting and joking and laughing together, their robes slightly too big on them. Nico had opted to tug on one of his robes over his usual attire of black jeans, a faded t-shirt, and a leather jacket. He felt like a Sith lord.

"This way," Neville said, indicating a path with his head. "Only the first years cross the lake by boat. Everyone else takes carriages."

Either option seemed ridiculous to Nico.

He followed Neville to a line of carriages and the breath was knocked out of them when he realized what was pulling them.

 _Thestrals_.

He hadn't seen one in years. Their skeletal wings cut an intimidating figure against the evening sky and they seemed out of place on earth, but they brought back a small piece of home for him. Nico had only ever encountered thestrals when he was in the underworld and they were one of the only animals under his father's domain that he actually liked. Tentatively, he stroked the nose of one nearest to him.

"I didn't know Hogwarts had thestrals," Nico said. The one he was petting whinnied in recognition. This herd had spent an abnormal amount of time out of the Underworld, but they still recognized their prince. "I probably would have accepted the job earlier if I'd known that."

Neville stopped in his tracks. "You can see them?"

"Yeah, why?" Nico smiled lightly as another thestral nudged him. "Can't you?"

"Not most people can." Neville stiffened. "Not unless you've seen pain and suffering."

"Oh," Nico scoffed as he scratched behind the ears of the thestral beside him. "What a bad rap for them to have. They're nice little things, affectionate, easily trained," his voice distorted in pitch as he spoke to the thestral, like talking to a pet. He placed a quick peck on the snout of the thestral nearest to him. "Can tear a man limb from limb."

Neville raised an eyebrow. "You might want to stop stroking them. Not a lot of the students can see the thestrals anymore and it looks like you've gone mad."

"Oh, well, they probably already think that." Nico gave the thestrals one last pat and made for the door of the carriage. "A few spotted me with my sword."

"You should really use your wand," Neville said as he put their luggage on the top of the carriage. "Swords aren't a big thing at Hogwarts."

"I've got a wand," Nico said. "We just don't use them very much where I'm from."

They entered the carriage and sat across from each other. As soon as they were seated, it began moving.

"And where was that again?" Neville asked.

Nico gritted his teeth. "Greece."

* * *

Neville didn't know what to make of Nico di Angelo. He wasn't someone he would have chosen to work at Hogwarts, not with their current roster of professors. After the war ended, the battle-hardened feeling that arrested the school slowly faded into a more mellow atmosphere; no one was waiting for a war anymore, they were just living.

Nico di Angelo had seen wars, that much Neville could figure, and he didn't like it. But there was no one better than a former soldier to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, so he had to trust McGonagall's judgment. The look in Nico's eye as the train stopped that afternoon reminded him of the same look he'd seen in Harry Potter's all those years ago.

He was a different man now, he hoped.

Nico was tight-lipped on their journey up to the castle. They were the last carriage to leave and he knew they'd probably miss the opening remarks, but he didn't mind as much. He'd lived through enough of them as it is.

Suddenly, Nico stiffened opposite him and held his hand out. The carriage rolled to a stop.

"Is something the matter?" Neville asked.

Nico glanced around the carriage, listening, then swore underneath his breath. "There's something out there."

Neville sat back in his seat. "Does this happen often for you? Do you just stop transportation to battle monsters?"

Nico didn't dignify that with a response. He unsheathed his sword. "Stay here. Don't leave."

He sighed. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The carriage door swung shut behind Nico. After a few minutes, he could hear evidence of a scuffle. A clash of steel, possibly a sword against a tree. Neville sat in the carriage car as the sounds of battle carried on in the distance, his fingers pressed to his temples.

This was why he didn't work with Aurors anymore.

Ten minutes later, Nico arrived back in the carriage. His face was smeared with blood and in one hand he had the head of a manticore. He sat down on the seat and the thestrals began to pull the carriage forward again.

Neville inclined his head. "Really?"

"Don't worry," he said, wiping his hands on his jacket. "It's not my blood."

* * *

Minerva McGonagall had finished sorting the first years and was mid-opening remarks when she knew something was going to go very, very wrong.

"I know you have noticed by now that Professor Beauchamp is no longer on our staff. After her retirement last spring, we have appointed a new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts who-" she looked at Nico di Angelo's empty seat. "Who apparently, has no chosen to grace us with his presence."

The large oak doors swung open and in walked Nico di Angelo with a very apologetic Neville Longbottom in tow. His face was splattered with dark blood, the back of his robes trailing behind him. From the tight grip in his hand dangled the twisted glare of a manticore's head, dripping blood on the stones of the Great Hall.

Students gasped, one screamed. All eyes were trained on Nico as he walked towards McGonagall's podium. He deposited the manticore head at her feet with a dark glower and removed the Stygian iron sword that was embedded in its neck.

"How kind of you to join us, Professor di Angelo," she said coldly. "Do you have any other gifts on your person?"

"Only my winning smile, McGonagall." He sheathed his sword. "I don't like having to clean up your messes."

"Duly noted." A slow, cat-like smile spread across your face. "Next time, don't bring the heads of monsters into the great hall during meal times. It scares the children."

Nico grunted and stepped behind the long table set out for the professors, taking his place at the end. His gaze looked out over the sea of faces who were mesmerized by the newcomer.

"Everyone, please welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," McGonagall said, gesturing to him. "Nico di Angelo."


	5. Intent

The room they gave him was small, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. In fact, he almost preferred the cozy nature of the tiny room in the tower. They placed him in one of the teacher's wings between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw dormitories and there were two professors he didn't know sleeping in the floors below him. Supposedly, he was available if any students needed help during the night, but he was assured that they rarely ever knocked on the teaching wing.

When he entered, the fire was blazing and he sat down on the brightly-patterned quilt that stretched from end to end of his oddly cramped double bed. He was grateful to have some peace after the dinner and even more grateful when the professor next to him used a spell to clean the blood from his face.

Although, the students were getting a rare look at his actual nature and he quite liked how intimidating he felt. His young face and obvious inexperience made him feel like an imposter, especially since he wasn't even a wizard.

Against one wall was a small window with a desk that had all of his things laid out on it. He glanced through the muddled panes and was surprised to find how high up they were. The lake stretched out to the horizon as the sun dipped below it.

As he reached down to undo the laces on his boots, an iris message appeared and a cheery vision of Chiron swam before his eyes.

"Nico," Chrion said. "You look well."

"I look like shit and you know it," Nico replied as he pulled off his boots.

"Now, you know that's not polite." Chiron had a tone to his voice that he used with the younger campers.

Nico scoffed. "And when have I ever been known to be polite?"

Chiron shook his head. He was in his full centaur form in his office at the Big House and a large spread of papers littered his desk. "Are you settling in well?"

"Spying on me?" Nico took off the robes on his shoulders. "Is that the best you can do?"

"I want to know how you're doing. Headmistress McGonagall is a dear friend of mine."

"Yeah, well she ran my carriage right in the path of a manticore," he said. "She's not too careful when it comes to monsters."

"She doesn't have to be," Chiron said. "Magic takes care of most of that for them."

"Sounds nifty. Sign me up."

Chiron sent him a pointed glance. "Don't ruin another opportunity, Nico. This is a good job, these are good people."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," he said sarcastically. "They all act like peaches and smell like a rose. We'll get along great."

"Nico..."

He sighed. "It's late, I have to get to bed. Bother me later if you want to."

Chiron said nothing and Nico stood, effectively ending the Iris message.

If he was going to do this, he wasn't going to do it because some idiot half-horse sitting safe and snug in his office wanted him to. He was going to do it his way.

* * *

Nico knew technology didn't work around him and the fact that Hogwarts was basically technology-free was a blessing, but he hated not knowing when he's woken up. At camp, they had bells and battle cries, during quests it didn't matter, but at Hogwarts he had a job and at Hogwarts he was given a rude awakening.

"Nico!"

Someone was banging on his door and it made him want to burrow further into his bed. For a moment, he didn't recognize where he was; it had been so long since he'd had a bed to sleep in or someone shouting his name. He thought it had to be a dream, but he hadn't dreamed since last year, not even once.

"Nico, wake up!" Came the voice again. "You're going to miss breakfast."

Begrudgingly, he stood and opened the door for a neatly-dressed Neville Longbottom, who gave one look at Nico's tattered long-sleeved shirt and shoved him back into his room.

"You need to check your trunk, that's where thing will have been put," Neville instructed. He dug into the contents of the trunk at the foot of Nico's bed and pulled out one of the sets of robes Madame Malkin had made for him. "Here, put this on. Splash some water on your face. I'll meet you in the corridor in _five_ minutes and after that, you'll have to find your own way to the Great Hall. Understood?"

Nico was half-asleep and muttered a response, waving for Neville to go away. "Alright, Will, I'm up. Go away."

Neville paused. "Will?"

Something shifted in Nico and his entire manner changed. His shoulders hunched and he became darker. "I'll get dressed. Give me a minute."

Neville left him to his own devices and sure enough, a slightly disheveled, albeit dressed, Nico di Angelo joined him on a walk down to the Great Hall. Neville made sure to point out specific landmarks and tell interesting stories on the way there, but he could tell that Nico was lagging.

"Didn't get a lot of sleep, I presume," Neville said.

Nico shoved his hands deeper into his robe pockets. That's the only thing he liked about robes, the pockets. "This place has a weird energy s'all. It's just..." He let some of Percy's slang slip into his own. "It's just a bummer."

After the adrenaline of fighting the manticore had worn off, he'd felt the oddness that lived in the castle. It felt like going against the nap on a piece of velvet, uncanny and unnatural. It made Nico feel like he or something near him didn't belong.

"Do you think Nick will be at breakfast?" A student asked another ahead of them. "I didn't see him at dinner and he's almost always there!"

"Who?" asked another.

"Only Nearly Headless Nick," said an older student. "The most famous ghost in Gryffindor history!"

They rounded the corner to enter the Great Hall and Nico stopped in his tracks. There, hovering above the tables were dozens upon dozens of ghosts.

" _Di Immortales_ ," Nico breathed.

Neville put a hand on Nico's shoulder, which Nico promptly brushed off. "What's wrong?"

He should have known what that feeling was, that wrongness in the pit of his stomach. He should have known that a building as old as this would have a few ghosts floating about, but he hadn't expected this many. Ghosts didn't usually bother him that much but he knew they weren't supposed to be here just as he knew if his father caught wind of this, he'd have to do all of the paperwork.

Nico steeled himself to enter the Great Hall, hoping against hope that he could just have his breakfast in peace.

"If they say anything to me," Nico said out of the side of his mouth to Neville. "Ignore it."

"Who?" Neville asked. "The students?"

Nico swore. "No, you idiot. The _ghosts_."

The crowd around the entryway parted when the students ahead of them noticed that Nico was there and he plunged forth, leaving a gobsmacked Neville to catch up. It was fine for the first few feet until a portly ghost cut off his path.

"My lord." He bowed close to the ground. "May I be the first to welcome you to our home. We're very happy to see you-"

Nico pushed through the ghost with a sneer. "Don't care."

Another swerved in front of him. "What an honor to have you in our presence, my prince-"

He managed to slip past her, his eyes slung low and his shoulders squared. It felt like he was going into battle again, single-minded in his objective. A group of ghosts were crowded around the base of the professor's tables that scattered when they saw Nico approaching them. He sat down in his seat at the far edge of the table with a sigh, sinking down so he was barely even visible. Neville sat down next to him.

"I-" he began.

"Don't ask," Nico interrupted.

"I wasn't-" Neville began again.

"What did I say?" Nico retorted.

Neville held his hand up defensively. "Alright."

Food appeared on the table in front of them, mesmerizing Nico. He'd barely ate at the feast the night before and seeing the spread of oatmeal and toast, waffles and scones, endless fruit, it gave him a compulsion he hadn't had in years. There were not braziers nearby, he had no idea how to burn something with the new wand he'd been given, but he felt the need to sacrifice his meal to the gods in his heart. It tasted foul.

He hadn't burned anything during his exile; he knew he'd been forsaken by the gods and he felt no need to honor them. This world of plenty, with hundreds of students spread out before him eating anything and everything they wanted.

Nico swallowed his pride and nudged Neville. "Is there a spell to, like... burn something?"

Neville coughed. "Er, what?"

Nico sighed. "I have to do this thing but I don't know the spell for fire. Just- help me out."

Neville leaned in and whispered in Nico's ear. He seemed to enjoy the air of conspiracy that surrounded the young professor. "It's _incendio_. Try it."

Nico scowled and piled food onto his plate, but suddenly found himself without appetite.

"Is the young lord enjoying Hogwarts?"

He looked up to find a ghost hovering in front of him. The ghost was tall, with a long slice across his neck and a voluminous frock coat that flowed in a ghostly wind. He grinned at Nico.

"If you don't get out of my sight and take all of your friends with you, I will personally drag you to the Underworld myself," Nico said unblinkingly.

"May I introduce myself." The ghost floated closer to him. "I'm Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington."

Nico narrowed his eyes at Nick. "I'm not interested."

"Sir Nicholas!" Neville said cheerfully. "How have you been?"

"Very good, Mr. Longbottom," Nick said. "I am impressed by the newest hire. What will my lordship be teaching?"

Neville sputtered, his tea nearly shooting across the table.

"Hey, scram," Nico waved his hand at Nick. "Go away. I'm eating breakfast."

Nick bowed. "Of course, my lord."

A minute passed before Neville said, "Okay, now I have to ask."

Nico took a sip of water with a dark expression. "I'm...the Ghost Prince."

"The what?" Neville asked.

He spoke up, wincing. "I'm the Ghost Prince."

Neville laughed and clapped Nico on the shoulder. "I think you'll fit in just fine."

* * *

Rose Granger-Weasley didn't know what to expect from her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Her cousins had all had Professor Beauchamp, her parents hadn't had much of an education in it at all besides what the war gave them. After filing into her first class of the term with her group of first-year Gryffindors and another group of Slytherins, she realized that DADA wouldn't be the same as it had in years past.

For one, Professor di Angelo wasn't even up at the board doing things she'd come to expect of a teacher. He was in a chair, his feet up on his desk, sleeping.

"Er, sir?" One of her classmates spoke up.

He didn't stir. The students glanced around at each other before one was finally brave enough to approach the professor's desk. Her cousin Albus gave her a quick look before he pressed Professor di Angelo's shoulder lightly.

"Sir-" he said.

The professor leapt up suddenly, grabbing Albus by the forearm and jerking him upright. He held him there for several seconds, studying his face for something with darkening intent.

"You're Potter, aren't you?"

The air was sucked out of the room as Albus dangled there, held aloft by a professor who seemed more and more deranged by the second.

"Y-yes, sir." Albus struggled to hold out his hand for the professor to shake. "Albus Potter... sir."

He set Albus back on his feet and pushed him in the direction of the desks. "Take your seat. Don't come near my desk again."

He was dressed oddly, that much Rose figured. He wore wizarding robes that fit him well, but left them open over his Muggle clothes: a dark shirt and weathered leather trousers one might use to ride a motorcycle. If anything, he didn't seem to be comfortable in the robe as he picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board.

"Today's class will be a riddle. I am not like any of you. I'm not a vampire or a werewolf, and I'm definitely not a wizard. You won't have to fight my kind, but we've had wars in the past that have nearly killed the world." He took a short sword that glistened like the night and used it to point to what he'd written. " _What am I?_ "

"A muggle, sir."

He picked at his nails with the edge of the blade. "Yes, there's that word again. Muggle. What a shit word to describe mortals. It sounds like a squeaky toy stuck in a blender. Next."

"A spirit?"

He laughed. "That's hilarious, but no. I'm definitely _not_ one of those. Next."

"A mermaid."

"Oh come _on_." Professor di Angelo held his sword aloft. "None of you are even trying."

Rose fidgeted in her seat. She exchanged a glance with Albus before raising her hand. "A... demigod."

"You," he pointed his sword at her. "Have been talking to your cousin. Say hi to Teddy for me."

Rose gulped. "Will do, sir."

"I am a demigod." He thrust his sword into the ground where it stood upright. "Now, what does that mean for you? I don't fight your type of monsters. I've never met a werewolf or a dementor; in my line of work, I come across things that are much, much worse. But..."

He let the word hand in the air as he observed his class. "I will prepare you not for the real world, but for the much scarier, darker world that exists beyond this castle. Entering this room, you all failed to do the simple things that would save you when you encounter danger."

The professor picked up the chalk again and made a list. "Number one: you didn't assess your surroundings. You went it blindly when there could have been danger. Number two- come on, guys, write this down-"

The students frantically reached for their parchment.

"Number two: you didn't take stock of the potentially hazardous lifeforms in the area. I was sleeping at my desk, but was I really sleeping? Was I armed? Was I dangerous?" He underlined the word 'dangerous' three times. "Which brings me to number three: you engaged without thinking." He placed a hand on Albus's desk. "That was a very dangerous move for you to make, Albus. Don't do it in the future."

Albus leaned back in his chair, uncomfortable. "Of course not, sir. I won't, sir."

"Don't call me sir," Professor di Angelo said. "That was your first test. I'd say you all failed miserably, which you did, but that wouldn't be fair to you. You've never come up against a single obstacle your entire lives that you couldn't overcome with a flick of your wrist. Now is the time all of that changes."

* * *

The sun had gone down and no matter how hard Nico tried, he couldn't get to sleep. He'd figured out how to get from his room to the Great Hall without Neville's help by lunch and decided that if he was going to be miserable, he wasn't going to be miserable in the tiniest room known to man while everyone else was sleeping.

The castle was another being at night. The stones were heavy with history, the paintings snored and flitted about. A few attempted to talk to him, but he ignored them. Moving paintings weren't something he wanted to become used to. The ghosts had learned to steer clear of his path and he couldn't feel any of them near him. He wondered where they went when they weren't wandering about the castle.

He had lit a candle using the flames from the fireplace in his room but he found that he didn't really need it. The darkness comforted him in the strangest of ways as he walked through the hallowed halls, exploring for its own sake. Eventually, he came to a tower marked 'Astronomy' and began climbing.

It was cloudy that night and the wind was bitter, but he appreciated the fresh air. The castle was too old to have proper ventilation and after a year on his own in the wilderness, he found himself suffocating.

He tilted his head towards the sky and let the cold wash over him. Here, this was where he could relax. It looked nearly abandoned and from what he could see of the other teachers, no one had any interest in teaching astronomy. Nico glanced up at the night sky and thought that if he squinted, he could almost see a familiar constellation.

He sighed and returned to the castle, his candle now dim from the wind. As he was walking back to his room, the patter of feet alerted his ears. Out of the darkness came a coal-black kitten, no more than a few months old. It would itself around Nico's boots and looked up at him, purring.

"Now who are you?" Nico knelt down to pet the cat. "Where did you come from?"

It meowed in response and jumped onto his shoulder. Bright green eyes stared at him through the darkness.

"I think I'll call you June," Nico said. He pet her. "Hello Junebug, pleased to meet you.


	6. Passing

The weeks blurred together as Nico spent his days teaching and his nights roaming the castle. Rumors spread that he never slept, that he was a vampire, that he was immortal. He put at least one of them to rest by having Neville spell a sign above his head that read _DEMIGOD_ and flashed whenever anyone asked him. Anything to prevent him from having to make small talk.

He took June everywhere. The tiny black kitten clung to his shoulder as he darted from room to room and curled herself up on his lap when he was grading papers. He gave in and taught himself a few spells to make the students' handwriting more legible.

They loved him, and he couldn't fathom why. He wasn't a nice teacher, he wasn't even a good one, but he was a fair one. He took everyone's ideas into consideration and didn't leave even the weakest out of a fight. If he couldn't teach them spells, he could certainly teach them how to defend themselves.

His students like Junebug. Whoever got the highest score on a test got to take her back to their room after class.

James Potter offered to teach him a spell so she'll breath flames. Nico declined.

He still didn't know what to make of the Potter brothers. Every time he saw them, they were surrounded by a dark aura, something he'd never seen before. It seemed to lessen as the days passed and the incident on the trail was no longer in the forefront of everyone's minds. They were born of death, that much was true.

And Nico was never much of a friend to death.

* * *

"You know, I'm surprised you don't complain about the food," Neville said one morning at breakfast.

Nico paused, half of his spoonful of oatmeal hanging out of his mouth. " _Whatdoyoumean_?"

Neville shook his head. "We stick to a pretty traditional English and Scottish diet. It's not popular with Americans."

Nico ate his oatmeal. "Not American."

"You know what I meant," Neville said.

He didn't answer and chose instead to glance at his plate. He never ate that much, a product of never having that much to eat in the first place. It was hard to find food on quests and even more difficult when he was in exile. Any food was good food, that's one thing he learned from Percy.

Nico shrugged and reached for another piece of toast. "I'm not picky."

Neville chose not to answer and sipped his tea instead; it was nearly white with milk. Nico picked up his coffee, dark as night and sweet as sin. They couldn't be more different if they tried.

In the distance, they heard screeches,

Nico swore underneath his breath.

It had happened as soon as parents decided to send packages: the owls. All of them were under Athena's domain, and all of them hated Nico. They took to pecking him, settling on him, and otherwise disrupting every breakfast he's had since he arrived at Hogwarts. It almost made him lose his appetite. Almost.

This time, they were switching course.

"What's that little one in the middle?" Neville asked. He pointed to the pack of owls.

There was one in the center being battered from left to right by the others, smaller than others and carrying something that was too large. It barreled straight for Nico and overshot its course, breaking free from the barricade of owls but landing square in his bowl of oatmeal.

" _Di Immortales_ ," Nico whispered, his face splattered with oats.

The tiny owl looked up at him and squawked, impatiently holding out his package. It was an oddly-patterned screech owl that nipped at his fingers, but otherwise seemed unbothered by Nico's presence. Junebug leered at it from Nico's shoulder.

"Are you going to open it?" Neville asked. He peered at the packaging.

Nico set his mouth and untied the top. It was slightly sodden, but once he opened the box he realized that it was his old aviator jacket with a crisp white letter on top. He'd barely been outside since he'd arrived at the castle and hadn't noticed that it was missing.

 _Trouble,_

 _I thought you might be missing this._

 _Kind regards,_

 _Edward Lupin, Auror_

 _P.S. This is Teddy._

Neville pretended not to be reading the letter over Nico's shoulder. "Who's it from?"

He pulled out the jacket, keeping his tone nonchalant. "Just Teddy. I must have left this at the Leaky Cauldron or something. I didn't even realize it was gone."

Neville raised an eyebrow. "Alright."

The jacket was a little small on him after all those years, but it warmed him from the inside. June curled up on Nico's lap and batted at the edge of Teddy's letter.

"Interesting he sent a screech owl," Neville said. "Teddy's owl is a snowy, just like Harry's. He must have known."

"Sorry?" Nico said.

"I mean, he must have known that the owls don't like you," Neville replied. "And found a screech owl to send the message. They're animals of Hades, right?"

Nico folded the note and put it in the pocket of the jacket, smiling despite himself. "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

The desks had all been shoved to one side of the classroom when Nico's first year class entered. It was too cold to march them out to the fields next to the castle and it would take them much longer than he wanted it to. Nico hated wasting time.

His students reacted to the new environment the way he had taught them: observe, adapt, and prepare. They took to spreading out around the entrance, leaving a gaping hole in the space of the classroom.

"Don't be shy," Nico said, gesturing for them fill in the gaps. "We're going to be doing something a bit more physical today."

As they moved into a loose formation, anxiously exchanging glances, Nico pulled a staff from a trunk next to his desk. It wasn't much longer than his usual sword, but fatter and with rounded ends.

"Today we're going to learn how to fall," Nico said, holding out the staff. "When you're hit by an attack, whether it's magical of physical, how you fall is imperative. It can mean the difference between a bruise and a broken arm or a headache and a broken neck. Before you can defend yourself, you have to learn how to take an attack. Now," he looked at the students with a grin. "Who wants to help me demonstrate?"

The hand of Prudence Greengrass shot up immediately. She'd developed quite the infatuation with Professor di Angelo, which made others in their class roll their eyes. She eagerly ran to the front of the class and stood opposite Nico.

"Okay Prudence," Nico said, handing her the staff. "Hit me."

"I-" Prudence looked aghast at the idea. "I'm not sure-"

"It's all perfectly fine, you won't do any damage," Nico said. He waved his hands for her to start. "Come on, hit me."

After a second of hesitation, she struck out and the staff lightly hit his left shoulder. From Nico's desk, Junebug mewled in protest.

Nico hung his head, laughing. "Alright, that was a little light, but if a spell or a more forceful attack managed to land on your shoulder, here is how you would want to fall."

The demonstration took a few minutes as Prudence gleefully attacked her professor and earned herself five extra points to Ravenclaw and Nico took the hits good-naturedly, showing the rest of the students how to fall without injuring themselves. Afterwards, he rolled out a mat and paired those of similar heights and builds to test it out for themselves.

It took a minute for them to become comfortable, but soon the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was filled to the brim with the cries of eleven-year-olds as they made hits and took them in equal measure.

"Are you sure this is right, professor?" Rose asked Nico. She held the staff out towards her cousin Albus. "I want to hit him so it really hurts."

Nico raised an eyebrow and looked at Albus. "Did you agree to this?"

Albus gulped and shook his head. "No, sir."

Nico placed a hand on Rose's shoulder. "Maybe switch so Albus has a chance to hit you. Remember, the offense is not the point of the exercise."

She nodded, her eyebrows set, and handed the staff over to Albus.

Nico sat at his desk, observing as they learned and absentmindedly petting June. When he stood to reassign partners, he noticed something odd.

"There's supposed to be twelve of you," he said to the group of Ravenclaws. He counted them quickly. "Where did Prudence go? Has anyone seen her?" He frantically searched the classroom. "Where's Prudence?"

* * *

He brought the issue to McGonagall immediately, who, for all of her usual composure, paled upon hearing it.

"It's like she disappeared into thin air," Nico said. "One second she was completing the exercise, the next she was gone."

McGonagall stood from her desk. "That is quite the issue. Did you do a locating spell?"

Nico scoffed. "I wouldn't even know how, but I tried to see if I could sense her aura, but I can't. She might be in a part of a castle I can't access, but she can't have gone far."

"Thank you for bringing this to me, Mr di Angelo," she said. "Please return to your classroom. We will have this sorted shortly."

Nico almost protested, but decided it was best to let McGonagall deal with the issue at hand. If it came to it, he could search for her himself. He stood slowly from his chair and made his way to the door.

That day was the last he saw Prudence Greengrass.

* * *

It was late when he called Percy and Annabeth, who were in the middle of attempting to feed baby Nathaniel. Their apartment looked messy from what he could tell in the Iris message and was strewn with multicolour toys.

Percy's eyes bugged out. "Did you get a _cat?_ "

"It's Junebug." Nico shifted his shoulder so his cat was closer to the Iris message. She pawed at the rainbow screen.

"Yeah Percy," Annabeth said as if it's obvious. "It's Junebug."

"Kitty!" Nathaniel cried from the background.

Nico heard someone knock at his bedroom door and stood. "Wait a sec."

He opened the door to Neville, who peeked behind Nico at the Iris message. "What in the-?"

"Doesn't matter," Nico shook his head sharply. "What's up?"

Neville stared at Percy and Annabeth in confusion as they attempted to feed Nathaniel. "Er, meeting. McGonagall's office."

"I'll be there in a minute," Nico said.

"Hi," Neville said to Percy and Annabeth over Nico's shoulder. He waved.

"Oh, hi there," Percy said cheerfully. "Do you work with Nico?"

"Er, yeah. I do herbology," he replied.

"Cool," Percy nodded. "Very cool."

Nico looked between the two of them and rolled his eyes. Neville stared, dumbfounded, at the rainbow until Nico gently shoved him back out into the hallway and shut the door.

Nico sat down in front of the message and picked up June. "I'm going to have to cut this one short, you guys. I have to go."

"See you later." Annabeth held up Nathaniel to wave at him.

* * *

Minutes later in McGonagall's office, the teaching staff of Hogwarts assembled. It was a tight squeeze, but the office seemed the breathe more space into itself to accommodate everyone. Nico sat down next to Neville and the Muggle Studies professor.

"What do you think it's about?" Neville asked.

Nico stared at his hands soberly. "I think I know."

He wondered if they'd found her body in the lake. The lake seems like somewhere a child would wander off to. Neville nudged him, prompting him to speak up.

"Prudence Greengrass," Nico whispered. "She went missing earlier today. I think- I think something bad happened."

Neville opened his mouth to respond, but McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice. Unfortunately, due to not finding Prudence Greengrass within a day and exhausting all possible resources here at the school, we have had to call in extra assistance from the ministry," McGonagall said.

The door to McGonagall's office opened and a group of Aurors rushed in, all in varying states of exhaustion.

"We apologize for the delay," said one. He was tall and muscled, towering over everyone in his team. "We got here as fast as we could."

Nico twisted in his seat to look at the team and blanched at one of the recruits. Standing just inside the entrance was the bright teal hair of Teddy Lupin. He glanced at Nico and raised both of his eyebrows.

 _Miss me?_

* * *

Nico opened his door later that evening to the disheveled form of Teddy Lupin in all of his lanky glory.

"Hello Nico," he said with a smile. He pushed his way past Nico and set his luggage down on the threadbare carpet the covered the space between Nico's double bed and the fireplace.

"Uh, hello?" Nico raised an eyebrow. "Um. What are you doing?"

"Well," Teddy looked around the room. "It's a funny story, really. They haven't cleaned out those rooms that the Romanian professors were living in yet and we came on such short notice that they wanted to shove us in with some poor sods doing research on the blast-ended skrewts being raised in the fields. But I said I could just sleep on your floor and safe the skrewt scientists a headache or two."

Nico rubbed his temples. "And you didn't want to be around their samples, I'm guessing?"

"They had skrewt pus everywhere," Teddy said. "Those rooms are small as it is. Nevermind adding four Aurors to the mix."

He sighed. "Fine, but you're not sleeping on the floor. Take my bed."

Teddy scoffed. "This is _your_ room, trouble. I'll take the floor."

"No," Nico said with more force. "You're the guest. You get the bed."

Teddy shook his head. "I'm sleeping on this floor."

"Christ, just take the bed," Nico said. "I'll take the floor."

"No!" Teddy shouted.

"Why?" Nico said at an equal volume.

"Because it's impolite!" Teddy shouted back.

Nico moaned. "Now you're giving _me_ a headache. Just take the bed. I'll be on the floor."

"You can't stop me, Nico," Teddy moved his bags so the floor was clear. "I'm going to sleep on this floor."

"No, you're not!" Nico attempted to pull Teddy over to the bed.

"Yes, I am!" Teddy hollered.

The next morning, they both woke up on the floor.


	7. Closer

Teddy's presence on Nico's floor was short-lived. After the initial night, Nico managed to wrangle up a couch for Teddy to sleep on to appease the ingrained politeness of both parties and by the end of the week, he had moved into the guest quarters with the rest of the Aurors. It wasn't a particularly large change; the guest quarters were down a separate hallway from the staff rooms, and they shared a horrendously outdated common room.

They sat next to each other at dinner, and no one thought anything different of it. The other Aurors, the overly-muscled Magnus Shacklebolt and a pair of twins named Hazel and Briar Tennyson, took their dinner whenever they could in between scouring documents for information on the disappearance of Prudence Greengrass. Teddy was still in training and somehow managed to slip away.

The Aurors noticed this.

The staff table wasn't small, but they squeezed in another seat on the end next to Nico's. When Teddy couldn't reach a dish he wanted, he'd steal it off of Nico's plate with a cheeky grin.

Nico noticed this.

"Eat your own food, dumbass," Nico said. He pushed Teddy's head away but it was a half-hearted effort.

"Can't reach the chicken, mate," Teddy replied. "And you've got a whole pile right there that you're not even touching."

Nico glanced at his shoes but was forced to pull his head up when Junebug began pawing at his neck. He flicked her with his fingers. "Hey, stop that."

"Why is that?" Teddy asked as he ate another piece of Nico's chicken. "You've always got a pile of food you send back down. The house elves won't like that, you know."

Nico cracked a woeful smile. "House elves? Now you're just messing with me."

Teddy shook his head. "Nah, they live under the castle next to the kitchens; where the Hufflepuff dormitories are. You've never met any of the house elves?"

"Why would I?" Nico shrugged.

Teddy took the last piece of chicken from Nico's plate. He'd been letting the elves burn the offerings for him since every incendio spell he'd tried had gone up in smoke. Literally. As the food rapidly disappeared from his plate and his stomach stayed empty, he realized that Teddy was a way of burning an offering.

At least, it went to an equally useless place.

"Maybe next time I'll get extra so you're not stealing my dinner." Nico looked directly ahead.

"No use," Teddy reached over him, his lanky body near draping across Nico's lap as he speared the final piece of chicken from the serving plate. "You can't stop me."

He leaned back in his seat, observing the way Teddy positively tore into his food and it occurred to him that his words had more than one meaning.

* * *

Even as the weather turned dark in the throes of autumn, they used Nico's minimal breaks in the afternoon and Teddy's flexible schedule to relax on the quidditch pitch. It began when Teddy noticed that Nico tended to practice after his classes let out, sparring while the quidditch teams practiced during all hours of the day.

"Does that ever tire you out?" Teddy asked as he laid back in the waning grass. Magic kept it green, but it didn't keep it healthy. He'd been cloud-gazing, but the sky had turned into one large cloud and the game had grown boring.

"What?" Nico did a set of parries and thrusts as a warm-up, testing the balance of his sword again. It felt heavy in his arms, but he chalked that up to the restricted training hours he was afforded.

Teddy leaned up on his elbows, looking Nico up and down. "That sword thing? All the medieval whotsit."

Nico scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Firstly, it's hardly medieval; this sword is thousands of years old." He threw it into the air and caught it tip-down. "And secondly: I'm not a wuss like you."

This caught Teddy's attention. "If I'm such a wuss, as you put it, then why haven't we ever dueled?"

 _Parry. Thrust_. "You wouldn't want that."

He leaned his head to the side with a lopsided grin. "Afraid I'll beat you?"

"Hardly." _Parry. Thrust_. "Afraid I'll kill you."

Teddy stood, brushing grass from his trousers. "You've said a lot of stupid things, trouble. But that's by far the stupidest. Get your wand."

"Wand?" Nico let his sword drop and it implanted itself in the grass. "I don't duel with a wand, Lupin."

"Right," Teddy nodded. He put his hands on his hips. "Sword. So, where can I get a sword like that?"

"You can't." Nico pulled his sword out of the grass and handed it to Teddy. "You can hold it if you want, but it won't do anything for you."

Teddy took the sword and held it aloft, examining it closely. "What's so special about you, sword?"

The sword hummed angrily in response. Teddy looked taken aback. "I think it likes me."

He did an experimental thrust and fell forward, the sword dipping closely to the ground. Nico fought to hold back laughter.

"You've really got a knack for sword fighting there, Teds," he said. "I'd be afraid to take you on in a fight."

Something sparked in Teddy's eyes. "Oh yeah?"

As Nico stretched his hands up towards the darkening sky, Teddy launched himself at Nico. The flat of the sword hit him and made him stumble a few paces backward.

" _Fuck_." Nico muttered. He rubbed his ribs with a scowl. "You weren't even holding it correctly."

"Come on," Teddy slipped into a fighting stance. He swung the sword in a wide arc. "Fight me, di Angelo."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Give me back my sword, Lupin."

Teddy grinned. "Make me."

Nico let his shoulders slump and looked off to the side before suddenly springing into action, grabbing Teddy around the waist. Startled, Teddy dropped Nico's sword and his ankles turned, sending them both onto the grass.

"No one gets the drop on me!" Teddy shouted. He wrestled with Nico until he had him pinned to the grass.

It wasn't all at once, that feeling of bewilderment. It crept up on Nico like the ocean on a pebbled shore, his wrists held to the ground by a surprisingly strong grip, Teddy's right knee between his own. A strand of teal hair drifted down and tickled the tip of Nico's nose. He could feel all of Teddy's weight against him and he wasn't sure it was much of a bother to begin with. Something twisted deep in Nico's gut.

"Ready to concede?" Teddy asked, breathless.

He could touch his lips if he just moved the slightest bit upwards.

"Professor!"

A voice cut through the air. Nico threw Teddy off of him with little effort and stood, brushing grass from his trousers. In the distance, he could see one of his students jogging towards him.

"Professor," said James Potter, decidedly out of breath and panting. "McGonagall... wants... to see you."

Nico nodded curtly. He picked his sword up off the ground next to an astonished Teddy. "Right. Thank you, Mr Potter."

* * *

They won't find Prudence Greengrass.

It's something Nico knows that the Aurors aren't aware of yet, but he was familiar with this feeling: the chilled absence of something that used to be a part of the world you live in. When someone died on a quest, he felt it. When they never came back, he knew.

On a Wednesday, his students asked him if he could do a lesson on locating spells and curse-breaking. On Thursday, Nico was pouring over ancient textbooks he'd dragged from the depths of the library in the staff common room. They'd looked so scared, he couldn't say no.

And that was where he found Teddy again, as he always did. They orbited around each other, a gravitational pull that neither of them fully comprehended and didn't bother overthinking, or, at least, didn't have time to even think about.

"Those a big books you've got there," Teddy said as he sat in front of the fireplace.

"I don't have time right now," Nico said curtly. He scratched down a note from one of the tomes. Then, a hastily muttered, "Sorry."

Teddy leaned over, glancing at one. "Advanced curse breaking? Is that what they teach in DADA these days?"

"Kids asked me to prep a lesson on it." Nico continued writing. "They're- they're really scared."

"Yeah, I guess." Teddy sat back in his chair. "This kind of stuff hasn't happened since... Well, since Harry Potter was a student here." He made a noise. "Odd. His second boy started this year."

"Maybe bad luck runs in the family." Nico nearly smiled at the thought. It wasn't too far off from his current situation.

Teddy scoffed. He pulled a cigarette from his back pocket and lit it using the fire. "I wouldn't put it past them."

They sat, the fire crackling away as Nico wrote his notes and smoke curled from Teddy's cigarette up to the low ceiling.

He put down his pencil. "By the way, who's Harry Potter?"

"What?" Teddy burst out laughing. "Are you serious?"

Nico looked off to the side, clearly annoyed. "As serious as a heart attack. People keep mentioning him."

"He's like, the greatest Auror to ever live," Teddy said. "Harry Potter is a big fucking deal. He destroyed the Dark Lord when he was only seventeen." His voice trailed off. "And he's my godfather."

"Cool," Nico said distractedly.

"Did you no hear me? Dark Lord at seventeen?" Teddy leaned forward in his seat.

"Sure," Nico shrugged. "I did something similar when I was thirteen. It's not so special."

Teddy put his cigarette to his lips. "How many dark lords do you have over in America?"

"Besides my dad?" Nico began. "A lot. Too many, to be honest. You'd think they'd regulate that kind of thing. It's not like you can get godly powers on a whim."

"You did," Teddy said.

"I'm sure having two children with the same woman was a very calculated move on Hades's part," Nico said sarcastically.

"You never said you had any siblings."

Nico cast his gaze downwards. He cleared his throat. "Had."

A moment passed and Teddy gestured for Nico to join him over on the small sofa he was lounging on. "Come on. I'll help you with those plans."

He didn't move and Teddy took this as stubbornness instead of refusal. He stood and carried Nico's books over for him.

"Trust me on this, I know more about curse breaking than you do," Teddy said with a pointed glance.

Nico grumbled. "Alright, fine."

They sat a little closer than seemed normal, touching more than seemed necessary. Teddy scribbled tips down on the piece of paper that Nico had been using, his handwriting nearly indecipherable, and when he asked Nico when was the last time he slept, Nico didn't respond with a growl, but a yawn.

And when the coals grew dim, Teddy let a sleeping Nico rest on his shoulder, their hands brushing against each other, the soft touch of Nico's head against his neck, even when his feet became numb. Even when he also fell asleep, his head lolling off the back of the couch, the books spread around them.

Even when they were awoken by the booming voice of Magnus Shacklebolt, yelling that two more students had gone missing.

* * *

 **This chapter was entirely fluff, but some action-packed shit is coming in the next chapter. Chills, thrills, tears, a mongoose. Nico may or may not wear leather pants. Will's terrible fate. Nico throws Neville off the Astronomy Tower. Junebug will probably return. Where is that cat, anyway?**


End file.
